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![\"President](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/440623.jpg\")
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\n President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan and first lady Emine Ero\u011fan receive Belgium’s Queen Mathilde, Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye, May 11, 2026. (AA Photo) <\/p>\n
Belgium last organized an economic mission to T\u00fcrkiye in 2012, when the visit was led by King Philippe, then crown prince.<\/p>\n
Bolat underscored the sides’ intention to deepen cooperation in strategic sectors, including defense, logistics, energy, technology and advanced manufacturing.<\/p>\n
Citing geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions and rising protectionism, Bolat described T\u00fcrkiye as a strategic production and logistics hub connecting Europe, Asia and Africa, offering direct access to a market of more than 1.3 billion consumers.<\/p>\n
He highlighted T\u00fcrkiye’s economic scale, noting its $1.6 trillion economy, young workforce and expanding industrial base. “T\u00fcrkiye has become a global production, technology and logistics center,” he said.<\/p>\n
Highlight on defense<\/p>\n
Defense was highlighted as one of the strongest growth areas in bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n
Erdo\u011fan told Mathilde that T\u00fcrkiye’s participation in the EU’s defense initiatives is in the mutual interest of all sides, the statement said.<\/p>\n
The president further said T\u00fcrkiye and Belgium hold significant potential for cooperation in a broad range of fields, including trade, the defense industry, energy and agriculture, adding that efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties would continue.<\/p>\n
He added that the green energy transition represents an important area of cooperation with Belgium, emphasizing that T\u00fcrkiye is among Europe’s leading countries in installed renewable energy capacity.<\/p>\n
The delegation on Sunday visited the Turkish drone powerhouse Baykar, which Belgium’s Francken described as “unique” within NATO because “it has made permanent innovation its mantra.”<\/p>\n “This company pioneered AI-integrated armed drones. They are getting higher and flying higher and further,” Francken wrote on the social media platform X.<\/p>\n Bolat said T\u00fcrkiye’s defense and aerospace exports rose from $248 million in 2002 to more than $10 billion in 2025, a nearly 40-fold increase that has positioned the country as the world’s 11th-largest defense exporter.<\/p>\n “We see growing interest from Belgium in deeper engagement with our defense ecosystem,” he said.<\/p>\n Customs union update<\/p>\n He also emphasized logistics as another major area of opportunity, citing T\u00fcrkiye’s $150 billion logistics market and more than $50 billion in logistics service exports.<\/p>\n T\u00fcrkiye’s transportation infrastructure includes 58 airports and flight connections to 356 destinations, while weekly connectivity between T\u00fcrkiye and Belgium includes 80 passenger flights and 14 cargo flights, according to Bolat.<\/p>\n More than 600,000 Belgian tourists visited T\u00fcrkiye last year, he added.<\/p>\n Bolat identified information technologies, pharmaceuticals and clean energy as additional areas where bilateral cooperation could deepen.<\/p>\n He said T\u00fcrkiye’s energy transition strategy, particularly in offshore wind and hydrogen technologies, presents opportunities for collaboration with Belgian firms.<\/p>\n Bolat also called on the EU to modernize the customs union to support integrated value chains between European and Turkish companies.<\/p>\n “We are working very closely on updating the customs union in line with today’s economic realities,” he said.<\/p>\n T\u00fcrkiye’s annual trade volume with the EU has reached $233 billion, while nearly 70% of the $290 billion in foreign direct investment entering T\u00fcrkiye since the early 2000s has originated from European firms, he noted.<\/p>\n As part of the forum, Bolat, Prevot and Francken signed a joint declaration aimed at strengthening bilateral trade relations.<\/p>\n
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\n A delegation led by\u00a0Belgium’s Queen Mathilde visits the Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar’s technology center, Istanbul, T\u00fcrkiye,\u00a0May 10, 2026. (AA Photo) <\/p>\n
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